Everything I Bought Last Year That's Now Just Sitting in a Drawer

Open your junk drawer. Open your closet. Look under your bed. You'll find a graveyard of good intentions. Cables for devices you don't own. Gadgets that promised to revolutionize your kitchen. Clothes with the tags still on them because you were waiting to lose five pounds.

The Sunk Cost Fallacy

We hold onto this stuff because of the Sunk Cost Fallacy. We think, "I paid $100 for this, so I can't throw it away!"

But here's the hard truth: The money is already gone. It left your bank account the moment you clicked buy. Keeping the item in your house doesn't bring the money back. All it does is occupy physical space in your home and mental space in your head. It's cluttering your life.

How to Actually Fix It

The "Cost Per Use" Audit

Pick up an item. Remember what you paid for it. Now estimate how many times you used it. If you bought a $200 blender and used it twice, that's $100 per smoothie. Let that number sting. Let it hurt. Use that pain to stop you the next time you want to buy a kitchen gadget.

The "Stranger" Test

If a stranger walked up to you right now with the item in one hand and the cash value in the other, which would you take? If you would take the cash, get rid of the item. Sell it, donate it, trash it.

Photograph Your Clutter

This sounds weird, but it works. Take a picture of your messed-up junk drawer or your overflowed closet. Keep it on your phone. The next time you're in Target and tempted to buy a knick-knack, look at the photo. Remind yourself that you don't need more inventory to manage.

The Bottom Line

Your unused purchases are sunk costs. Holding onto them won't get your money back. Let them go, learn the lesson, and use that awareness to prevent future drawer fillers from entering your home.

Need help stopping the influx? Let us judge your purchases before they become clutter.